In 2011, one year after the historic visit of Pope Benedict XVI to England and Scotland, the Bishops' Conference started a series of lectures to commemorate the interreligious gathering that took place during the Papal Visit at St Mary’s University College, Twickenham.
Also in Interreligious Dialogue
Bishops' Document > Nostra Aetate > World Religions > Prayer > Cardinal Tauran in UK >The meeting, held in the Waldegrave Drawing Room at St Mary’s University, saw representatives of many of the world’s major religions gather to celebrate the contribution of people of faith to the common good.
To mark this ocassion, a series of lectures were organised to celebrate the importance of interreligious dialogue and interfaith relations in England and Wales.
Former Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks gave the inaugural Benedict XVI Lecture in 2011 praising the impact of the Papal Visit and how it “underlined that faith in all its manifestations is an integral part of 21st Century Britain and that Britain is stronger because of it”
In 2013, the then Minister of State for Faith and Communities, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, gave the second Benedict XVI Lecture in London on the theme ‘Freedom of Religion in the Public and Private Sphere’.
In 2016, the Benedict XVI lecture took the form of keynote speakers exploring the theme of 'Living as a Creative Minority in the UK'.
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, former Minister of State for Faith and Communities, gave the second Benedict XVI Lecture in London on 2 December 2013.
Former Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks gives first Benedict XVI Lecture
